The Tour of Sufferlandia starts on Saturday, January 25, 2014. And I am planning on riding each and every day. Nine straight days of cycling spins/rides on the trainer in the basement, also known as the suffer chamber. Why would someone subject themselves to this exercise? I guess there are many reasons.

Can I do it? I want to prove to myself it is possible for me to do a challenge that many people start and do not finish. I am also using this “ride” to see if I have the mental toughness to move outside and beat the Assault on Mount Mitchell. So the first reason is to answer the basic question – Can I do it?

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Actually that is the name of Day 2’s ride, also abbreviated ISLAGIATT. When I first read about this event, I was intrigued by the technical setup of SUFFERFEST and Trainer Road (available at Trainerroad.com). So I set up my own suffer chamber and started riding on the trainer. I could tell it was going to be beneficial over the winter. Then I bought a SUFFFERFEST training plan. Then I said, let’s do this this Tour thingy. So now I say ISLAGIATT.

The whole idea of the ToS (Tour of Sufferlandia) is to help raise funds for the Davis Phinney Foundation in its stance for Parkinson’s research. So I have asked my friends and family and business acquaintances to help me raise funds. And if you are reading this, it is not too late. Follow the link below and you can still donate.

I might win a prize IF I finish the ride. As I looked into this event, I was impressed to see how the technology built into the Trainer Road software actually ensures that a participant actually participates. While I am sure the system can be cheated, it is pretty cool that others can see my ride including heart rate, cadence, power, speed, mileage, and time just by hooking the software up to my bluetooth devices and my trainer. So this will verify that I ride what I am suppose to ride and maybe I might win something cool.

So there you have it – my four reasons I am riding the ToS.

I have also been asked to give an overview of the devices and technology I am using. Here is my list:

Litespeed C3 Road Bike – “The Dagger”

Cyclops Mag+ Trainer

Wahoo Fitness Bluetooth Speed and Cadence Sensor

Wahoo Fitness Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor

Cyclops Stackable Climbing Block

Apple Macbook Pro Retina w/Bluetooth

Trainer Road Software from www.trainerroad.com

Apple TV

60″ Samsung TV

The Macbook is running Trainer Road software. Using the bluetooth in the laptop, I am able to connect my heart rate monitor and the speed and cadence sensor to the trainer road software. Trainer Road also has the power curve to my trainer – the Cyclops Mag+ (as well as many other trainers). This enables the software to display my real time data stream onto the big screen TV via Apple TV Airplay Display. So I can watch the SUFFERFEST video with my Trainer Road data stream live and suffer at the appropriate pace. Sounds like fun doesn’t it?

Stay tuned for updates as the tour progresses. If you have questions or comments, please let me know. And if you have an extra $10, please consider donating to the Davis Phinney Foundation through my personal fund raising web page. Thanks in advance for your support!